C ’SCORNER

October 2008 Volume: 14 Issue: 08

“It is great to be back in San Diego and aboard BOXER. I am impressed with the professionalism and dedica-tion of her Sailors and expect even greater things from them in the future. As we prepare for workups and our upcoming deployment, it is imperative that everyone maintain their focus on duty, safety and getting their personal affairs in order. In the coming weeks, our Family Readiness Group will be providing important information for family members. It is imperative that your families get this information. I also want to remind everyone to be aware of their surroundings when it comes to personal safety. Sadly, the rateof area sailors involved in fatal accidents is way too high. With the approaching holidays, I expect leadership at all levels to take care of your people and be intrusive when it comes to safety. I also expect each of us to take care of each other, that is what true shipmates do. As you may have already noticed, there have been some subtle changes in the way we do business on BOXER. This is a ship of the line of the United States Navy, and we will conduct ourselves appropriately. Standby. More to come. I welcome your suggestions, and will personally respond to items submitted to the CO's suggestion box. We have already received and addressed several. I encourage you to use your chain of command. They are listening. “Well Done” to all those who executed an incredible missile exercise! A lot of hard work by a lot of people resulted in a stunning success. A hearty “Bravo Zulu” to our newest Chiefs. I will see you out and about on the deckplates.

“Go Navy!!! Beat Army!!!”

“We're the logisticians for the MEU aboard the ship,” said Marine Gunnery Sergeant Robert Rankin, one of the Combat Cargo Marines leading the teams. “We load the cargo that will allow our shipmates to go ashore and accomplish their mission.”

Nearly 2,000 Marines from the 13th MEU will soon embark Boxer for the deployment, however, without the tools to accomplish the mission, a successful Marine amphibious operation can be near impossible. For this reason, the on-load is important to the upcoming deployment, explained Rankin.

“This on-load is essentially the heart beat of ship-to-shore movement. We're loading the cargo needed in order to support Marines going ashore,” Rankin said. The importance of Combat Cargo's mission is echoed throughout the ranks of the loading team.

“From the outside, what's happening here may seem trivial, but I think this mission's importance is enormous,” said Marine Lance Corporal Iain Wright. “We're loading the necessary gear and supplies for the entire 13th MEU to be able to deploy and do its job.” Employing a technique known as a “stern gate marriage,” teams of Marines and Sailors debarked vehicles from a Landing Craft, Utility (LCU) into the welldeck of the Boxer, explained Boatswain's Mate 1st Class (SW/AW) Victor Gomez.

“Essentially, a LCU loaded with Marine vehicles will pull partway into Boxer's well deck and drop its gate, and the Marines drive their vehicles off the LCU and aboard the ship,” he said.

As strenuous as the work was, Gomez and Wright agree the Marines and Sailors worked together as a successful team to get the job done. “Most of the Sailors we're working with have done previous deployments with Marines,” Wright said. “So they know what to expect from the on-load, as well as what their roles are and how to do the job,”

“It's a very successful partnership,” added Gomez. “We get the job done right.” Boxer is next scheduled to begin a series of training and exercises to prepare for a Western-

Pacific deployment early next year.

SS Boxer (LHD 4) Combat Cargo Marines together with Boxer Sailors loaded vehicles, aircraft and supplies for the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Sept. 29 - Oct. 3. Boxer's Combat Cargo department, augmented by Marines from units as close as Camp Pendleton, Calif., to as far as Yuma, Ariz., is in

charge of coordinating the task of loading and organizing the 13th MEU's supplies aboard the ship to support its upcoming deployment.

Ufor Upcoming DeploymentBOXER Begins On Load13th MEU

Story & Photo by MC2 Jeff Hopkins

More than 200 USS Boxer (LHD 4) Sailors took to the field at the San Diego Padres' Petco Park September 11 in memory of the thousands of people who were killed in the 2001 terrorist attacks, to unfurl a massive flag during the National Anthem. The presentation of the giant flag, which

covers 45,000 square feet and weighs nearly half a ton, was followed immediately by Boxer's executive officer, Capt. Frank Michael, stepping onto the pitcher's mound to throw out the honorary first pitch of the game between the Padres and the San Francisco Giants.

For many of the Boxer Sailors attending, the opportunity to represent the military, the Navy and their ship on such a grand scale was a moment of intense pride.

“It made me feel proud to be part of such a patriotic experience and to be walking out on the field with everyone waving at us was really, really exciting,” Quartermaster Seaman Angela Stewart.

Most Americans will probably always remember where they were when they first heard about the attacks on September 11, 2001 and for some of the Sailors, the ceremony was a chance to reflect on those memories and their own role as a part of today's Navy.

“It's an amazing feeling standing out there with the crowd at attention,” said Aviation Boatswain's Mate (Fuels) Airman Recruit Krista Murray. “It was very surreal standing there thinking about where I was when 9/11 happened. It changed my life forever, and to pay tribute to all the people whose lives it touched greater than mine was an honor.”

Following the anthem, the center of attention moved from the outfield to the pitcher's mound as Michael wound up to deliver the first pitch over the plate to Padres third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff to officially start the game “It was a great honor to have a chance to throw the first pitch out on behalf of Boxer,” said Michael. “It was inspiring to see all the Boxer Sailors come out and unfurl the flag. It was quite a moment when you think about all the hard work these folks do every day and that they came out at the end of a long day with everything else they had going on was very special.”

Following the pre-game events, all the Sailors who participated in the ceremony were given free tickets to go and watch the Padres take down the Giants in what ended as an 11-3 blowout by the Padres.

BOXER Sailors Show Pride, Paid Tribute at PETCOStory & Photos by MC2(SW/AW) Jon Rasmussen

2 In The Ring October I

Portrait Photos by MC2 Jeff Hopkins & MC3(SW) Noel Danseco

USSBOXER

My life. My Ship.IS2 Elizabeth Myers

USSBOXER

My life. My Ship.LCDR Keith Rowe

BOXER PROFILE

3In The Ring October I

4 In The Ring October I

CHIEFSHail to the new

n September 16, 2008, USS Boxer (LHD 4) ceremoniously welcomed the newest members of the ONavy's Chief Petty Officer ranks, concluding a

nearly two month induction season. Family and friends of the newly inducted Chief's attended the pinning ceremony where 16 Sailors completed the time-honored transition from First Class Petty Officer to Chief Petty Officer.

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D3 006932

USS Boxer (LHD 4) returned from an underway period under the new command of Capt. Mark Cedrun Sept. 19, conducting training and testing of a new shipboard missile guidance system. The four-day underway allowed Boxer's crew to test out the ship's

upgrades since completing a short in-port maintenance period last month. Among many other modifications, Boxer was fitted with a prototype electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) camera integrated into the missile director system to acquire and engage targets. The system is the first of its kind in the Navy, and was used during the underway to successfully fire three RIM-7 NATO Sea Sparrow missiles.

BOXER SCORES “DIRECT HIT”with NEW MISSILE GUIDANCE SYSTEM

Story & Photos by MC2(SW/AW) JON RASMUSSEN

“With this system we will be able to further expand our lethality around the ship and monitor what is going on at a longer range and prevent those threats from approaching Boxer,” said Chief Fire Control Technician (SW/AW) Daniel Casebolt.

The EO/IR system is not only a unique enhanced capability for Boxer, but the Sea Sparrow firing evolution was the first for the ship since 1998.

“The evolution went smooth,” said Cedrun. “I couldn't be more pleased with everyone's performance. Our Fire Controlmen spearheaded this operation and their hard work really yielded solid, on-target results.”

The target was a remotely controlled rigid-hull inflatable boat used to simulate a hostile boat approaching Boxer. The EO/IR camera is an upgrade to the low-level light TV that we currently have on board, and its ability to see farther out has given us upgraded capability,” said Casebolt. “We're able to see up to 11 nautical miles out at surface contacts to visually identify them and determine intent to prepare us for going to the gulf and prevent any hostile attacks against small-boat attacks.”

The camera system can be manually controlled from inside the ship's Combat Information Center with the option of simultaneously viewing standard, infrared and low-level video feeds. All three missiles hit directly on target and the detonations were cheered by crewmembers gathered to watch the evolution.

“The shoot went excellent,” added Casebolt. “We fired three missiles, all skin-to-skin shots, against a seven-foot-long RHIB with a very small cross section so it shows the capability of the system against a small threat. We engaged and were able to destroy the target at 4 nautical miles away.”

The training and evolutions conducted on this underway are another step in maintaining Boxer's combat readiness in preparation for future operations. Boxer is next scheduled to begin a pre-deployment training series for a deployment early next year.

graphics & additional photos by MC3(SW) NOEL DANSECO

Capt. Mark Cedrun

Capt. Frank Michael

CMDCM(SW/AW) Ray Burrhus

MCC(SW/AW) Michael Hatfield

MC1(SW/AW) Michael E. Miller Jr.MC1 T. S. Hall

In The Ring is an authorized publication printed by the USS Boxer Media Center in accordance with SECNAVINST 4720.44. Information within is gathered from a variety of sources and should not be construed as the official view of USS Boxer, the Department of the Navy, the Department of Defense or the United States government. Questions regarding information in In The Ring should be directed to the Public Affairs Office (02-98-1-Q) at x7273. The In The Ring staff solicits stories, photos and ideas which may be of interest to the crew. The staff reserves all editorial rights.

Commanding Officer

Executive Officer

Command Master Chief

Public Affairs Officer

In The Ring Editors

STAFF

DESIGN & PRINT

MC2(SW/AW) Jonathon J. Rasmussen MC2(SW) Paul Polach

MC2 Jeff Hopkins

MC3(SW) Noel L. Danseco

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (Sept. 12, 2008) – Capt. Mark Cedrun reads his orders during a change of command ceremony with Capt. Matthew McCloskey. Cedrun assumed command during the ceremony, held on board USS Boxer (LHD 4), Sept. 12. U.S. Navy Photo by MC2(SW/AW) Jon Rasmussen. (RELEASED)

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Continuing Promise 2008

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Burial

Photos by MC2(SW/AW) Jon Rasmussen & MC3(SW) Noel Danseco

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17 September 2008

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Concept: MC3(SW) Danseco; Photo: MC2(SW) Polach